gun

1 of 2

noun

ˈgən 

1

a

: a piece of ordnance usually with high muzzle velocity and comparatively flat trajectory

b

: a portable firearm (such as a rifle or handgun)

c

: a device that throws a projectile

2

a

: a discharge of a gun especially as a salute or signal

b

: a signal marking a beginning or ending

3

a

: hunter

b

: gunman

4

: something suggesting a gun in shape or function

a grease/spray/radar gun

5

: throttle

6

slang : a person's arm

specifically : an arm that has well-defined muscles

—usually plural

… checking out his guns in the mirror …

—Tory Barron

gunned

ˈgənd 

adjective

see also:

under the gun

gun

2 of 2

verb

gunned; gunning

transitive verb

1

a

: to fire on

b

: shoot

gunned down by a hit man

2

a

: to open up the throttle of so as to increase speed

gun the engine

b

: fire sense 3b

gunned the ball to first base

intransitive verb

: to hunt with a gun

see also:

gun for

Did you know?

A ballista (a large missile-thrower in the form of a crossbow) that defended Windsor Castle in the 14th century was named in Latin Domina Gunilda, or “Lady Gunilda.” Gunilda is an Old Norse name and is a compound of gunnr and hildr, both words meaning “battle.” The English may have learned the name from early Norsemen who knew its etymological significance, or its use by the English may have been a coincidence. However, the use of this name for the Windsor ballista was not an isolated incident. Gonnylyde was the name of a cannon in a 14th century song. Our word gun, which also traces back to the 14th century, is probably a shortening of Gunilda.

Synonyms of gun

Noun

• firearm
• rifle

Verb

• shoot
• drill

Examples of gun in a Sentence

Noun

a gun battle between gang members and the police

She claimed that the gun went off accidentally.

Verb

She let the car coast down the hill, then gunned it.

The shortstop gunned the ball to first base.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The play, like the movie, is loosely based on a robbery that took place in 1972, on a boiling-hot August day, when an eccentric, deep-in-debt Vietnam veteran named John Wojtowicz entered a Chase bank in Brooklyn with a gun and two accomplices, hoping for a quick score. —Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

Lester noted that the number of homicides has fallen 22%, shootings have dropped 25%, and more than 4,200 guns were seized in over the last four years. —James Taylor, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

Verb

The crew of Artemis II, gunning for a launch from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday evening, features what would be the first Black man, first woman and first person from a country other than the United States to ever fly past low-Earth orbit. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026

Don’t expect the Dodgers to gun for the 2001 Seattle Mariners’ win record of 116. —Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gonne, gunne

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1622, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing gun

• air gun
• anti-gun
• BB gun
• big gun
• Bofors gun
• Browning machine gun
• burp gun
• electron gun
• Gatling gun
• ghost gun
• give the gun
• gun control
• gun down
• gun for
• gun lap
• gun moll
• gun range
• gun rights
• gun room
• gun-shy
• hired gun
• hold/put a gun to someone's head
• jump the gun
• long gun
• machine-gun
• pellet gun
• Quaker gun
• radar gun
• riot gun
• run-and-gun
• six-gun
• smoking gun
• son of a gun
• spray gun
• squirt gun
• staple gun
• starting gun
• stun gun
• submachine gun
• Thompson submachine gun
• tommy-gun
• top gun
• under the gun
• water gun
• young gun
• zip gun

Rhymes for gun

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• hun
• jun
• none
• nun
• one
• pun
• run
• shun

Kids Definition

gun

1 of 2 noun

ˈgən 

1

a

: an artillery piece with a usually long barrel and firing shot or shells in a somewhat flattened curve

b

: a portable firearm (as a rifle or pistol)

2

a

: a firing of a gun

a 21-gun salute

b

: a signal marking a beginning or ending

the opening gun of the campaign

3

: something suggesting a gun in shape or use

a grease gun

4

: throttle entry 2 sense 1

gunned

ˈgənd 

adjective

gun

2 of 2 verb

gunned; gunning

1

: to hunt or shoot with a gun

gunning for rabbits

2

: to open up the throttle of so as to increase speed

gun the engine